DJI has upgraded its popular lightweight foldable camera drone range with the release of the new Mavic Air 2, juicing up the camera, the control communications and the battery, and giving it the ability to detect other aircraft in the area.
The Mavic series was revolutionary on its debut in 2017, packing the features of the much larger Phantom drones into a foldable device you could throw in a backpack. The Mavic made it a breeze to take an aerial camera with you on a hike, a ride or a trip, and it spawned a series of offspring, including the Mavic 2 Pro and Zoom, the Mavic Mini and the Mavic Air. Looked at from above, the Air was barely bigger than a smartphone, but offered a decent little gimbal-stabilized 2.7K camera, 21 minutes of flight time, and some intelligent flight features for an impressive sticker price of US$799. The Mavic Air 2 is equally tiny and keeps the affordable price tag, but it's an absolute beast in comparison. The camera, for starters, uses a larger, 1/2-inch sensor, set in a new rectangular casing reminiscent of the Hasselblad-branded box hanging off the Mavic Pro 2. Stills resolution quadruples to a crazy 48 megapixels, while its video capabilities leap up to give you 4K/60fps shooting. In terms of slow motion, the Air 2 can give you an enormous 240 fps at 1080p resolution – that's 10x slow-mo if you're presenting at a cinematic 24 fps.